Music of Zoltan Kodaly

Track Listings

1. Harry Janos Suite

2. Dances of Galanta

Tracks:

The Nutcracker Excerpts (Tchaikovsky)
The Nutcracker Excerpts (Tchaikovsky)
The Nutcracker Excerpts (Tchaikovsky)
Parade of The Wooden Soldiers (Jessel-MacDonald)
Carnival of The Animals Excerpts (Saint-Saens)
Carnival of The Animals Excerpts (Saint-Saens)
Carnival of The Animals Excerpts (Saint-Saens)
THe Girl With The Flaxen Hair (Debussy)
Hoedown from Rodeo (Copland)
Little Waltz from The Toy Box (Debussy)
Viennese Musical Clock from Hary Janos (Kodaly)
Mother Goose Suite Excerpts (Ravel)
Mother Goose Suite Excerpts (Ravel)
March of the Siamese Children from The King and I (Rogers)
Dreams frin Scenes From Childhood ( Schumann)
March of The Toys from Babes In Toyland (Herbert)
Childhood Games Excerpts (Bizet)
Childhood Games Excerpts (Bizet)
The Toy Trumpet Al Hirt, trumpet (Scott)
The Little Train of Caipira (Villa-Lobos)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas)
Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky)
Lullaby (Brahms)

Customer Reviews:

Just for kids?? No way!!.......2005-04-08

This is wonderful classical music. If the kids like it, great! But, make no mistake about it, this is good for anyone. This is wonderful study music, reading music, or just plain relaxing music. Highlights include "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"; "March of the Toys" (from BABES IN TOYLAND -- the reason I bought this CD); "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"; "The Little Train of Caipira" (no longer little when the music is over); and the audience favorite "Hoedown" (i.e. "Beef, it's what's for dinner!").

If you're into that whole thing of classical music sharpening a youngster's intellect, then this won't disappoint. If you're just into good old fashioned classical music in general, it won't disappoint you either. Also, I highly recommend to both groups the classical CD BUILD YOUR BABY'S BRAIN.

The best classical album for kids!.......2002-12-12

This is a wonderful album. Very high quality, and every selection is beautiful. My daughter (who usually asks me to turn my classical music off) loves to pretend to gallop like a horse during "Rodeo" and march like a soldier during "Parade of the wooden soldiers". This is a pleasure for the whole family!

Great for Preschool Children.......2000-10-12

I use this CD with my preschool music group. The kids love it! This CD enables children learn about classical music without over extending their attention spans.

Ellisor: Conversations In Silence; Blackberry Winter; Barber: Canzonetta; Scearce: Endymion's Sleep; Mock: The Stone;

Average customer rating:

Mountain Dulcimer and the Orchestra!
Beautifully Moving and Imaginative
Get the best fast
wow!
Fresh & American!!

Ellisor: Conversations In Silence; Blackberry Winter; Barber: Canzonetta; Scearce: Endymion's Sleep; Mock: The Stone;

Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 ("City of Light"); Cello Concerto
Sejong Plays Ewazen
Yellowstone for Violin and Orchestra
English Country Dances
Appalachian Journey

ASIN: B000002NHW
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

Conversations in Silence - I
II: Conversations in Silence - II
III: Conversations in Silence - III
IV: Conversations in Silence - IV
Canzonetta
Endymion's Sleep
The Stone
Adagio
Blackberry Winter - I
Blackberry Winter - II
Blackberry Winter - III

Customer Reviews:

Mountain Dulcimer and the Orchestra!.......2006-11-06

I bought this album because of the dulcimer concerto on it, and it didn't disappoint. Teh liner notes were outstanding and I am so glad to have this piece in my collection!

Beautifully Moving and Imaginative.......2006-05-27

I got to see "Blackberry Winter" performed live in Nashville a few years ago and it was awesome. I took violin lessons from one of the violinists in the orchestra for a long time, so it was a little extra exciting. I got to meet the conductor, Paul Gambill about a year later and he was a really nice guy. He also conducted us in a big youth-orchestra gathering where we played the soundtrack to "Lord of the Rings."
"The Stone" is by far my favorite track on the CD. The mysterious Scottish and Irish themes entwined with each other are simply fantastic. It pretty much just transports you to another world.
"Blackberry Winter" is awesome, too. There's not many great recordings of a mountain dulcimer with an orchestra to back it up. Plus, the melodies and themes in that itself are really uniquely beautiful.
Overall, it's great quiet time and thinking music. It's definetely worth it!

Get the best fast.......2006-02-19

I heard this recording on NPR radio and loved it. While it was out of the mainstream usually stocked at music stores, I found it on Amazon, ordered it, and received in a matter of days! The recording is a lovely collection of Tennessee / Celtic pieces with wonderful solo work. Ellisor is a Nashville musician and composer and her "Blackberry Winter" for Tennessee music box is a real delight. Other pieces on the CD are by Barber, Kodaly, Mock, and Scearce.

wow!.......2005-04-28

I absolutely 'love' this CD. INNOVATIVE modern music. One of my favorites indeed.

Fresh & American!!.......2002-01-13

This is one exciting CD for several reasons. For those looking for orchestral sound that is uniquely American, Conni Ellisor provides the sound that has been missing since the end of Aaron Copland's career. In addition to Ellisor's compositions, the other tracks on this CD are an unusual and beautiful fit that compliments the other pieces. As is frequently the case in music, artists (Nashville Chamber Orchestra) and composers (Ellisor) off the beaten path are a national treasure. I use this CD for inspiration, relaxation, and restoration. One of the top 3 in my collection.

Average customer rating:

It was faulty on the last title to be played The Carnival of Venice
Awesome Collection!
A Wonderful Collection
Wonderful edition to your trumpet collection.
Quite the CD

Greatest Hits: Trumpet

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Classic Wynton
Famous Classical Trumpet Concertos
Trumpet Concertos
Baroque Trumpet Concertos
Wynton Marsalis - Baroque Music for Trumpet

ASIN: B000002AVK
Release Date: 1994-12-06

Tracks:

Brandenburg Concerto No.2, BWV 1047: III. Allegro assai
Birthday Ode For Queen Anne: Eternal Source Of Light Divine
Concerto For 2 Trumpets In C Major, RV 537: 1. Allegro
The Prince Of Denmark March
Canzon V
First Symphonic Suite: Rondeau
Trumpet Tune 'Martial Air': Martial Air
Trumpet Concerto In E-Flat Major: III. Finale. Allegro
Sonata a 9 zu der Kayserlichen Serenade
Voluntary In C Major
Trumpet Concerto In E-Flat Major: II. Andante
Trumpet Concerto In E-Flat Major: III. Rondo
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Petrushka: Dance Of The Ballerina & Waltz
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Introduction
Lieutenant Kije: Symphonic Suite, Op. 60: Kije's Wedding
Hary Janos Suite: Entrance Of The Emperor & His Court
Swan Lake, Op. 20: Naepolitan Dance (Act III) - Tchaikovsky
Rondo For Lifey
Concerto No. 1 For Piano, Trumpet & String Orchestra, Op. 35: IV. Allegro con brio
Tsar Saltan: Flight Of The Bumblebee
The Three Aces - Clarke
A Bugler's Holiday
Variations On The Carnival Of Venice

Customer Reviews:

It was faulty on the last title to be played The Carnival of Venice.......2007-06-01

I returned this to New Castle. Box 15550. I have heard nothing. The date of the return was 15/05/07 from my Throop postoffice in Dorset. I sent it recorded delivery. Over to you. There was nothing on the return screen to explain the fault. ie faulty track. So after many attempts to get intouch I sent it to the address on the paper inside the parcel. Please help.
I am a Grandmother so I am over 13 ???

Awesome Collection!.......2006-07-04

As a young boy I would play my trumpet from my father's old Arban's method book. My private trumpet teacher (Mr. Bonfield) would love to play duets with me from the Merchant of Venice. One day I heard Wynoton Marsailas play a a flawless rendition of The Merchant of Venice on my local clasical radio station. It was flawless and brought back many fond memories of studiying the trumpet as a youngster with my beloved teacher. This collection contains that rendition and a wide selecton of clasical trumpet pieces. You may not recognize every song, but you will enjoy the high quality of the music and artists on this CD. Anyone looking for an introduction to quality, classical, trumpet music should buy this CD. The price also makes this an affordable must for any true trumpet fan.

A Wonderful Collection.......2004-01-26

This is a splendid anthology of music. Traditional Baroque and orchestral pieces up front, and a few surprises nearer the end. A splendid work. The price makes it a steal. Add it to your cart. You will not be sorry. There is technical excellence - peace in some of the songs and real energy in others.

Wonderful edition to your trumpet collection........2003-10-21

Trumpet fans should all own this album, that is if they don't already own all of the pieces on here on separate recordings (it would take a while to obtain them all). This recording features a bunch of great classical trumpeters and innovators such as Armando Ghitalla, Phil Smith, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Gould, H.L. Clarke, Ron Romm, Charles Schleuter, William Vacchiano, and more. Great performances of Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No. 2", the Haydn and Hummel Concertos, Wynton's excellent performance of J.B. Arban's "The Carnival Of Venice", the New England Brass Ensemble performing "Trumpet Voluntary", a very good job done by a Baroque Orchestra of the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets, "The Three Aces" played by H.L. Clarke, and Leroy Anderson's classic "A Bugler's Holiday".

Overall this is a great listen to some of the best trumpet players of all-time in this idiom. All of the pieces are impeccably played by some of the best. I didn't discover this tape in my collection until recently, and boy I'm glad I did.

Quite the CD.......2001-04-17

If I were you, I would buy this CD. It is a diverse collection of amazing performances of quintessential pieces - an important addition to any classical music fan's collection. Heck, even if you're not big on classical music (or trumpet music or brass music or music at all) you should purchase this compact disc.

Tracks:

I. Larghetto Affettuoso
II. Allegro (Tempo Giusto Della Scuola Tartinista)
III. Andante - Allegro Assai - Andante - Allegro Assai - Andante - Allegro Assai
Cadenza - Adagio
III. Clair De Lune
IV. Jota
Extase Op.21
Valse-Scherzo Op.34
I. Love-Song
Three Hungarian Folk-Dances
Legende Op.17
Mazurka Op.26

Customer Reviews:

a feast of violin virtuosity.......2006-03-02

What a tone! David Oistrakh was a virtuoso, of that there is no doubt. What makes his playing stand apart, though, is his rich, full, round tone. Oistrakh does not draw attention to his technical skill, he draws attention to the music.

These duets, with Vladimir Yampolsky on piano, were recorded at Abbey Road in London in early 1956, and first released by EMI in 1957. It's a fine set of "showpieces," beginning with Tartini's sonata in G minor, "The Devil's Trill." Slow lyrical numbers like Debussy's "Clair de lune" and Ysaye's "Extase" are interspersed with livelier numbers such as de Falla's "Siete canciones populares espanolas" and Koday's "Three Hungarian Folk-dances."

This is an easy recommendation for anyone who loves great violin music, another truly "Great Recording of the Century" from the EMI vaults.

Average customer rating:

A smile in the mind...
Magnificent music making!

Face à face: Duos for Violin & Cello

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Inventions
Haydn: Cello Concertos
Brahms: Piano Trios
Ravel: Sonatas & Trio
Franck: Violin Sonata; Rachmaninov: Cello Sonata

ASIN: B00008ODZJ
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Tracks:

Passacaille After Handel
Duo Op. 7
Duo Op. 7
Duo Op. 7
Sonate Pour Violon & Violoncelle
Sonate Pour Violon & Violoncelle
Sonate Pour Violon & Violoncelle
Duo
Duo
Duo
Duo
God Save The King Op. 38

Amazon.com

This is a recording to induce smiles of incredulity, admiration, and delight. The Capuçon brothers are dazzling virtuosos who revel in their technical prowess with unabashed, sometimes mischievous relish; their tone is simply gorgeous: rich, vibrant, and intense, and they have the impetuosity, exuberance and abandon that befits their youth. (Renaud was born in 1976, Gautier in 1981, in Chambery, France.) The recording is designed to display every aspect of their matchless virtuosity, but equally astonishing are their uncanny rapport and unanimity and the homogeneity of their tone: they trade phrases and take over lines literally imperceptibly, and at times, especially when the cellist plays high up on the A and the violinist on the G-string, one cannot tell which instrument is playing what. The program includes a world premiere: Eric Tanguy's Sonata, written for the brothers and tailored to their strengths: two marathon run-around movements flanking a dark, passionate, slow one, all full of close interplay between the instruments. Kodály's familiar, very difficult Duo, played with great idiomatic empathy, unbridled temperament and mournful lamentation, exploits all the instruments' resources of colors and sound effects. The less familiar Duo by Erwin Schulhoff is equally difficult; with its wildly contrasting moods, abrupt changes of character and improvisatory freedom it has a powerful emotional impact. The program begins and ends with brilliant fireworks: Handel-Halvorsen's "Passacaglia," tossed off with playful nonchalance, and "Variations brillantes sur God Save the King," by two virtuosos: violinist Joseph Ghys and cellist Adrien Servais. (It is tempting to imagine that each wrote his own part.) Prefaced by a solemn, operatic Introduction, the five variations are the last word in acrobatics; the pyrotechnics are so incredible that the piece sounds like a parody of its own genre. Naturally, the playing is absolutely stunning. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

A smile in the mind..........2003-09-12

Refreshingly interesting programming combined with virtuosic music-making makes this one of the few "must-have" classical albums of the year (2003). No re-hashes here...it's all new to the ear (well, my ear). and the sense of ensemble between these two brothers is uncanny and breathtaking, underscored throughout by a sly sense of wit...merry, witty and just plain fun! BUY THIS CD...you'll love it and you'll be supporting some darned interesting upcoming new talent! P.S. The liner notes and photos are subtley hilarious...very well put-together package.

Magnificent music making!.......2003-07-18

The playing and music making on this disc are magnificent. The Capuçon brothers are virtuosos of the first rank, but more importantly they are incapable of playing an unmusical or uninteresting note. They speak with one voice when called upon, but are perfectly willing to engage one another in heated musical dialogue in the Kodaly and Tanguy. The performance of the Kodaly is especially wonderful. Technical perfection, panache, an infinite pallete of colors and amazing musicianship: what more could you want in a cd? I urge you to buy this cd and all others by these remarkable young brothers, especially their Ravel disc.

Average customer rating:

Delightful collection

Favorite Violin Encores

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000041D4
Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

Sicilienne
Rondo, K. 250
Mdie
Danza espanola No. 5: Danza espanola No. 5 'Andaluza'
Schosmarin
Liebesleid
Liebesfreud
Allegro
Siciliano, Op. 3, No. 11: Siciliano, Op. 3, No. 11, RV 565
Tambourin
Minuet In G, WoO 10 No. 2
Ava Maria, Op. 52, No. 6
Humoresque In G Flat, Op. 101 No. 7
Mtation de Tha
Valse sentimentale, Op. 51 No. 6
Largo
Rondino On A Theme Of Beethoven
Andantino In The Style Of Padre Martini
La Capricieuse
Apres un reve, Op. 7 No. 1
Tango, Op. 165 No. 2
Valse triste
Estrellita
Nocturne, Op. 51 No. 3

Tracks:

Andantino
Standchen, D. 957, No. 4: Serenade
Divertimento In D, K. 334: Menuet
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: Scenes d'enfants, No. 7 Traumerei
Sonatine In G, Op. 100: Larghetto
Ave Maria: Meditation sur le 1er prelude de J.S. Bach
Sonata No. 12 In E Minor: Sonata No. 12 In E Minor, Op. 3, No. 6
Songs My Mother Taught Me: Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op. 3, No. 6
Souvenir de Moscou: Souvenir de Moscou, Op. 6
Piece en forme de habanera
Zigeunerseisen, Op. 20, No. 1: Airs bohemiens
Allegro
Les berceaux: Les berceaux, Op. 23, No. 1
Tzigane
Baal shem: Nigun
Adagio

Customer Reviews:

Delightful collection.......2001-03-25

A delightful collection of shorter works for violin with piano accompaniment, some of them extremely familiar, others less so, but with Grumiaux's lyrical style (not flamboyant like Perlman's, but graceful and beautiful in an understated way), and fine accompaniment, the music on these 2 CDs is consistently excellent and can be listened to either consecutively or just a few pieces at a time. Well worth having.

Average customer rating:

Simply extraordinary

Allegri Miserere-Tenebrae

Manufacturer: Signum UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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Lighten our Darkness
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Music for Compline
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ASIN: B000I5YVTI
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Tracks:

Song For Athene
Ex Ore Innocentium
The Lamb
Hymn To The Cherubim
Noew Ye Heavenly Powers
Hymn To St Ceclia
Ave Maria
8-Part Crucifixus
Miserere
Esti Dal
The Dying Soldier
Psalm 148, Lord Who Has Made Us For Thine Own
Faire Is The Heaven

Customer Reviews:

Simply extraordinary.......2007-01-11

I get quickly out of my depth when it comes to any classical music, let alone sacred choral music, so I am wary about looking like a right pillock when I review it. But here goes:

This is a truly extraordinary, beautiful, haunting listening experience.

Signum Records seem to be doing its best to hide the fact that it is recording and releasing exquisite classical music. Much of Signum's catalogue is available only through its website, which Signum doesn't seem to have submitted to search engines for indexing. Allegri-Miserere is one of the few Signum releases available on Amazon. If you do nothing else, snap it up before Signum decides to hide this one too!

To my way of thinking, there are three aspects a record like this: The quality of the material performed, the quality of its execution by the choir, and the quality of the recording. In this case, all three are sublime, across the length of the album.

The title track is, of course, one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written - so beautiful the Vatican forbade, on pain of excommunication, anyone but its own Sistine Chapel Choir from playing it (the story, briefly recounted in the liner notes, of how a young Mozart nicked it from under the Vatican's nose by memorising it in one sitting is a beauty). While I've heard plenty recordings of the Miserere this one - it is a beautifully crisp recording - reveals the complexity and ornamentation of the vocal lines like no other version I've heard, even as between the tenors and basses positioned at the front of the soundstage (I think the Miserere is structured as a song-and-reply between two small choral groups). The sopranos and altos are positioned at the back of the soundstage, and the famous solo treble line is softened and embedded in a glorious natural reverberation giving it a haunting, solemn quality. When the lead soprano (I was surprised to see there are no boy trebles in the choir, by the way - I know it's not supposed to be the same, but I couldn't tell) hits her high C - and it's high in the stratosphere all right, practically in dogs-only territory - and falls away from it down a major scale it really takes your breath away. I almost fell down an escalator at King's Cross St. Pancras with excitement. And I just love the way Miserere resolves delicately into a major, at the very last. Clever man, that Allegri.

Elsewhere, the repertoire fully spans Tenebrae's stated coverage era of 17th-21st century, from Lotti's beautiful 8 Part Crucifix to the more modern works by Taverner, Ireland, Rachmaninov, Britten and Holst.

Not only is the music beautifully selected and recorded, the performance is just extraordinary in its accuracy and tone, dynamism and control. Though the sopranos steal the limelight in the Miserere, the rich bass and beautifully constant tenors are well to the fore throughout, and kick some righteous heavenly butt on Sheremetriev's Now Ye Heavenly Powers. It's spine-tingling, neck-shivering material, and when the basses hit their final bottom note, as low in the subterranea as the sopranos are high in the Miserere, I fell down the stairs with surprise and delight at East Finchley. Marvellous.

I really couldn't recommend this more highly. Treat yourself.

Olly Buxton

Average customer rating:

A long-awaited return

Travels the Orient Express

Manufacturer: Spin Art
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Favourite Flavours - Best Of... (Import)
Aria Fresca
Rustic Chivalry
Neapolitan Cafe
Quartetto Gelato

ASIN: B0002ABTK8
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

Slow Train
Under Paris Skies
Tombeau de Couperin I Prde
Tombeau de Couperin V Menuet
Tombeau de Couperin II Rigaudon
La Vie en Rose
Konzertstus 79 Finale: The Feast
Rondo all Zingarese
Tambourin Chinois
Dein Ist Mein Ganzez Herz
Kai Kett
Kai KettI
Kai KettII
Romanian Caravan
Turkish Medley
Danny Boy

Album Description

Quartetto Gelato are one of Canada's best selling and most acclaimed classical artists, having sold over 150,000 units internationally. Since their debut in 1994, Quartetto Gelato has won the hearts of audiences worldwide with their unique blend of sparkling technique, musical finesse and humor.

Quartetto Gelato have had sold-out repeat performances in New York, Washington, Vancouver, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Calgary, Tokyo, Edmonton, Seoul and Hong Kong.

The group now consists of original members Cynthia Steljes on oboe and English horn, tenor Peter De Sotto on vocals and violin and new members Alexander Sevastian (three-time first prize-winner of the International Accordion Competition) on accordion and piano and Kristina Reiko Cooper (Doctorate of Music from the Juilliard School of Music and winner of the 1999 Walter M. Naumberg Chamber Music Competition) on cello.

Their latest release "Travels the Orient Express" follows the route of the storied train that runs from London to Istanbul. The songs change and shift in theme and style as the scenery would outside the traveler's compartment window. Travels the Orient Express is an exciting musical journey for the listener.

Information on the band can be found on their website.

Customer Reviews:

A long-awaited return.......2004-11-30

I love Quartetto Gelato, so perhaps I'm not the most objective reviewer. But I had some fears that the group might not be as great as it used to be after some personnel changes. I approached this CD with some trepidation.

QG is not the group it used to be, I must admit. But...the new QG is every bit as good as the original, just different now.

The CD is a great concept, a musical voyage on the classic Orient Express. The opening track, "Slow Train," represents London and is rather melancholy and sets the tone for a nostalgiac trip on a train voyage that (at least as far as I know) is no longer running. ("Slow Train" is by the British comedy team Flanders & Swann, an uncharacteristically solemn piece.)

Paris is represented by Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin," brilliantly arranged, and by two familiar chestnuts, "La Vie en Rose" (giving Peter a chance to do Piaf), and "Under Paris Skies," giving new accordianist Alexander Sevastian a chance to strut his stuff.

"Konzertstuck" and "Rondo al1 Zingarese" give us a taste of Munich, and then cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper excels outrageously on Kreisler's "Tambourin Chinois," representing Vienna. Standing in for Budapest are Lehar's "Dein Ist Mein Ganzez Herz" and Kodaly's "Kallai Ketos".

My two favorite tracks come next. Bucharest is represented by an original piece, "Romanian Caravan," an energetic piece redolent of gypsy wagons and open fires. And "Turkish Carnival," for Istanbul, is another original piece, utterly intoxicating in its exotica, bringing images of odalisques, harem guards, and all the gaudy delights of the Near East.

The CD winds up with a return to the UK with "Danny Boy," bringing the voyage full circle.

Yes, it's light stuff, but it's good light stuff. I was once lucky enough to see QG live and they are a group who truly enjoys what they do, and their concerts have a sense of fun and delight that few classical performances have. Their CDs (I have them all) do capture some of that, and for that reason alone they're worth the attention of all classical music fans.

Average customer rating:

Songs for Winter Solstice
Sensitive Playing

Romances & Elegies for Viola & Piano

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Brahms: Sonatas for Viola and Piano / Kashkashian, Levin
A Portrait of the Viola
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Béla Bartók: Concerto for Viola & Orchestra / Peter Eötvös: Replica / György Kurtág: Movement for Viola & Orchestra - Kim Kashkashian
Six Cello Suites performed on viola

ASIN: B0000261H6
Release Date: 2000-04-18

Tracks:

Lacrymae op.48
Romance
Elegy
Elegie op. 44
Romance oubliee
Adagio
Elegie op.30

Amazon.com

This elegiac music seems very well-suited to the dark sound of the viola. Kashkashian plays it simply and very expressively, without slides or sentimentality; glowing and shimmering, her tone is pure, warm, inflected. The program has great variety. Britten's mournful Lachrymae (Reflections on a Song of John Dowland) comes to an agitated climax and ends with an old chorale. Vaughan Williams's Romance is a peaceful pastoral; Carter's Elegy is somber, gentle, and hardly dissonant; Glasunov's Elegy is very romantic. Liszt's Romance is very rhetorical--half recitation, half lamentation--but ends serenely. Kodály's Adagio, solemn and inward, comes to a passionate climax; the opening returns in the highest register. Vieuxtemps's romantic virtuoso piece has musical substance as well as passion, rhetoric, a big climax, and a wild, brilliant ending. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Songs for Winter Solstice.......2005-12-21

Perhaps none of the composers of this lovely set of works for viola and piano had in mind the death theme surrounding the winter solstice, the end of the season of growing, a time for pause and even sleep to prepare for the rumblings of rebirth, but that is what comes to mind while listening to this very well chosen collection of elegies.

Violist Kim Kashkashian and pianist Robert Levin seem extensions of each other, so well melded are these performances. While most will be familiar with the gorgeous Benjamin Britten 'Lachrymae, reflections on a song of Dowland', there are enough unfamiliar works to spark even the most experienced listener. Some highlights are the Vaughn Williams 'Romance', the Adagio of Zoltan Kodaly, and the Vieuxtemps 'Elegie'. The spectrum even manages to include Elliot Carter's 'Elegy' so you can rest assured there is a wide spread of periods and oddly enough they all create a cohesive program.

Kashkashian's tone is never forced, always refined, and never pushing towards heart on the sleeve. This is a beautiful recording, especially for winter nights. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Sensitive Playing.......2000-09-01

I was pleased to see this recording By Kim Kashkashian. The interplay between the viola and the piano is exceptional and it is clear these two performers have a fine sense of the music. The typical ECM recording excellence adds to this effect. This is twentieth century and somber music. The warmth of Kashkashian's viola makes this recording the perfect match for a fine bordeaux and a quiet evening of listening.

Average customer rating:

Not quite what I expected but very good.
It's sweet
Looking for Intensity? Go Here.

Duos for Violin & Cello

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Face à face: Duos for Violin & Cello
Kodály: Music for Cello
Inventions
Kodály: Music for Cello, Volume 2
Starker Plays Kodaly

ASIN: B00004LCAO
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Tracks:

Sonata For Violin And Cello: I. Allegro
Sonata For Violin And Cello: II. Tres vif
Sonata For Violin And Cello: III. Lent
Sonata For Violin And Cello: Vif, avec entrain
Passacaglia
DUO for violin and cello Op. 7: I. Allegro serioso, non troppo
DUO for violin and cello Op. 7: II. Adagio-Andante-Tempo I
DUO for violin and cello Op. 7: III. Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo lento-Presto
Two-Part Invention No. 6 In E BWV777

Amazon.com

The thing with the artist formerly known as Nigel is that his audience never knows what he might do next, and that, we must assume, is the way Kennedy likes it. This release of duos for violin and cello presents music that conventionally wouldn't be found on a single disc, the concise notes stating that the Bach and Handel pieces represent the "very antithesis" of the "linear approach" of Kodály and Ravel. This contrast-and-compare approach offers effective insight into possibly unfamiliar music, a diversity closer to a concert program than a regular CD. Ravel's Sonata for violin and cello is far removed from the composer's lush orchestral sound, a stark anticipation of Bartók's Third Piano Concerto. Kodály's Duo provides warmth, strongly infused with the folk tradition of the composer's native Hungary. Cellist Lynn Harrell clearly has an affinity for such music. (He's simultaneously released a recording of Miklós Rózsa's Cello Concerto.) The Baroque-derived works are much shorter, the Bach being a new transcription of the Two-Part Invention No. 6, the Handel Passacaglia a hybrid adapted by the Norwegian conductor Johan Halvorsen from the Harpsichord Suite No.7. With superb sound and intensely focused playing, this imaginative program offers highly committed music-making. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews:

Not quite what I expected but very good........2001-10-09

I got this CD as a "package" along with a baroque CD I was quite familiar with. I have always been partial to the cello, and thought this sounded like a great buy, which it is. I like it..but I have to keep listening to it. Becuase it is only cello and violin, some of the compositions remind me of scores from psychological thrillers or horror movies, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just, a bit heavy. The musicians are amazing however, so it makes this purchase worthwile. Perhaps I just need a bit more maturity for this.

It's sweet.......2000-11-02

This CD reminds me of summer camp . . . we played many of these tunes for fun. It would be wonderful to hear Mr. Harrell play Cole Porter with another cellist. That would be prima!

Looking for Intensity? Go Here........2000-07-29

This is a 57-minute collaboration of inspired string playing by two extraordinary musicians playing at the top of their games. Lynn Harrell shreds his normally buttoned-down approach and matches Kennedy's boiling bow bar for bar in this time-space voyage from French fantasy, to baroque repetition with variation, to Hungarian folk, and back to Bach. In the opening sonata duo, the pair move seamlessly from cool and lyrical to spitfire hot and back in a take-no-prisoners interpretation of Ravel at his bizarre best. The two transport their intensity back 200 years in Halvorsen's adaptation of Handel's minor key harpsicord passacaglia. They then pass from passacaglia to Bartok's gypsy passion, taking it to the limit and beyond. Harrell and Kennedy go from seething to soothing in closing with Bach's sweet E major two-part invention. What a ride!

Who says classical music is boring?

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